"Team Nokia, you guys have been absolutely stellar and an excellent example on how a corporate SM outfit can conduct business. I do not use a Nokia phone, and had no interest, but in terms of Brand recognition you guys have simply kicked ass with your Empire Avenue works." (12-3-2012)

What should an enterprise do with it's presence on Empire Avenue? Here is my personal opinion.

After having spent a good 1-2 hours reading up on the changes and taking note of many of the people's reactions to the announced changes I wanted to put my own 2 cents in on the discussion.

This is when I realized I personally look at Empire Avenue not only from a personal, but also from an Enterprise perspective.

I thought this would justify a blog entry from my hand because there are lots of ways and different viewpoints to look at this particular rather exceptionally engaging platform.

A general concern for any company is that the quality of online interaction they generate with any of their online presences would not meet a desired standard.

So when sharing or commenting on a blogpost or interacting with content there has to be an incentive triggered by the content itself in order for that interaction to be seen as authentic and not 'fake' or triggered as some part of gaming mechanism as the main driver for that interaction which results in all sorts of 'CyberPeddling', and truth be told, not always of the positively perceived kind.

Yet, it is this very gaming element that for many is the main driver to participate in a mission. This is simply natural human behavior.

So how then does one strike a proper balance between the fun of playing and providing added value to an existing or potential customer base in order to build a mutually beneficial long term relationship without loosing credibility for lack of authenticity in it's online value proposition and brand perception overall?

There are so many things to consider. From proper on-boarding to proving real-world benefits and determining actual ROI as a direct result of increased online engagement, as well as the possibility to properly target missions to the right people at the right place and even at the right time. All of these aspects have to be brought together by cumbersome and tedious gamebalancing. This is where everbody can tune in and voice there opinions.

It is in this context that I try to understand these changes.

The benefits of the premium account will have to be both beneficial as well as significant as well as fair in order to justify the expense.

On the other hand, perhaps if there is a premium liscense cost attached to getting the full benefits perhaps Marketing departments would start to take the platform seriously and as a result also allocate appropriate resources to it.

As we all know there is tremendous value to be had but the weight of these benefits also needs to be translated in financial terms and add to bottom line results.

And let's be honest: Who dares to share the ROI on their Google Ad campaigns here in the comments?